Empty Recorders
by Cybaster
Summary: Since that day a year ago, Ronnie O'Connor kept wishing that there really WAS a tape in that recorder.


Author's Note: Rare, ain't it? For me, _The Bots Master_ was one of those guilty pleasures on TV when I was still in Grade School, especially in Canada, when it was being aired on afternoon YTV alongside _The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog_, _Mighty Morphin Power Rangers_, and so forth. I feel nostalgic now. You have cmeister2's uploaded episodes of the cartoon on Youtube recently, and two really nice (yet naturally overlooked) BM fanfics (Pamela MacNeish's "Mechanical Heart", which is on FF.N in this same section, and Kristen Murphy's "Delusionzz", posted elsewhere), to thank for it - and for me even remembering that _The Bots Master_ actually existed. :P The first thought in my mind was self-explanatory: There _should_ be just a bit more BM stories.

Which resulted in this.

Right now I'm really just experimenting, and if this fic goes well (hopefully), I'll consider writing another _Bots Master_ story. I sincerely hope you'll enjoy it, even if you don't fully understand, or remember, the original cartoon.

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Disclaimer: _The Bots Master_ (and hence all the characters and locations mentioned in this story) was produced by Saban International and Avi Arad & Associates. Much of this was based on Episode 8: "This Land Is My Land" (you can read a summary of this episode on the The World's Greatest Bots Master Page; Failing that, you can see the entire episode on Youtube), even though I've thrown in a reference to the "Delusionzz" fanfic somewhere for good measure. Have I told you how nostalgic I feel already?

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Empty Recorders

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Dear Blitzy,

It's impossible not to remember you.

It's impossible not to remember that you and ZZ helped save Grandpa's house from the RM Corp. When your brother showed up that first time, I didn't really know who he was; Sure, everyone in school talked about this Zulander terrorist guy here and there, but I guess I didn't _feel_ ZZ was particularly good or bad, though Una seemed awfully quick to start trusting him. Grandpa _sure_ didn't like him at first, though. He kicked ZZ out, even though ZZ offered to help. I didn't know what to say, though I believed ZZ on that the _Corp_ would be back again to force Grandpa to sell the house.

It's impossible not to remember nearly shooting you. I stayed up and held onto Grandpa's stun pistol that night - you know, the one I gave Grandpa earlier and that he used to hold up ZZ with? ZZ would know - and I was ready to drop what I thought were more of those ugly RM Corp Huma-somethings sneaking into the kitchen when I saw it was ZZ. I didn't think ZZ would actually come back to help us then, and I still wasn't sure what he was doing here at first...and then I saw _you_ for the first time.

I didn't know what I was thinking then, but other than that you were _really_ pretty - okay, okay, I've said it! If you ever see Una, don't you _dare_ tell her I said that! - but the moment I saw you, I _knew_ ZZ was here to help. I guess I just thought that if he has a friend like you (and I sure didn't know you were his sister then, and I'd still like you even if you weren't), he's got to be alright, you get what I'm trying to say? I don't, either. All I knew then was that I kept staring at you for some reason, and you looking at me for some reason like you were daydreaming, until ZZ asked about Una. I didn't know why before.

But it's impossible not to remember how we first met.

Then it's impossible not to remember how _cool_ I felt you and ZZ's bots were when the Corp really did start trying to tear down our house, the way ZZ's bots beat down our crazified (I don't know another word for what happened then) 3As like they were nothing while D'nerd, if I remember the bot with the TV for a head's name right, taped the whole thing for us to use against the Corp. And then there was that really big Corp bot, then you flying in blasting it with that other giant bot of yours, and beating _that_ down like it was nothing. I've never seen anything like it! All the kids at my school can talk about how cool ZZ's gadgets were, but I've actually _seen_ them now, and the thought that you and ZZ built all those wonderful things? Wow.

It's impossible not to remember that D'Nerd ended up forgetting to put a tape, _after all that_, into the recorder after Grandpa threatened Lady Frenzy with it to stay away from his house, but since only Grandpa and we knew that there was no tape I guess it didn't matter much. Then after ZZ's bots swept up our house, you and ZZ were gone, and Grandpa told me that things would be back to normal from that point on.

I wish there really _was_ a tape in that recorder, though.

I thought Grandpa was right then, too. The Corp didn't come back, and didn't ask Grandpa to sell our house again. Our parents came back from China three weeks later. I went back to school, and Una went to college. Everything seemed okay again for once, but then I realized that I didn't feel very happy about everything ending like that. Then I started missing you, and thinking about you a bit, Blitzy (especially since one of my classmates kinda looks a bit like you, only with longer brown hair and eyes and flower dresses - ewww!) and afterwards I started thinking about you a _lot_. I couldn't stop.

There were other girls in my class, some of them prettier, but every time I _talk_ to one of them I keep thinking about...uh, how they're _not_ you, pretty much. Maybe it's because I knew none of those girls can do what you do best, Blitzy. They're _not_ you. They're just pretty; _You're_ pretty _and_ smart _and_ brave _and_ a _genius_ with piloting fighters _and_ making battle bots! And you're fighting the Corp, while most of the other girls still think the RM Corp is "alright" and everything (I wish _I_ could tell my class what the RM Corp really was up to, but my teacher would flunk me for it and Dad and Mom won't like it). I guess the moment I saw you and knew you were with ZZ, I knew you were a really, really special girl.

I guess I kept wishing that there _was_ a tape in that recorder, because then I'd be able to keep seeing you and ZZ on tape whenever I want to, or that one day you and ZZ would come back to use it against the Corp and I'd see you again _then_. I know, I can't help it.

Well, it's been a year, Blitzy, and this isn't even a real e-mail, as I'm _never_ going to actually send this to you. - Hey, Una put me up to it! She said I should write out how I felt even if you're never going to know (between you and me, she's probably done this many times but won't tell me even if I asked, that's why Una knows to do this. I think she still likes ZZ, too).

How are you right now? Are you okay? I keep hearing about you and ZZ on the news about various things you did: Saving Santa Marta from the Corp, a bot being really good at baseball in some town I don't remember the name for (isn't that one of your bots, Blitzy?), ZZ suddenly joining the Corp and then leaving again all of a sudden...a lot of things, and I never see you. But hey, Una told me that as long as we keep hearing about you and ZZ on the news, then you're still okay, right?

I know you're probably really busy with fighting the Corp somewhere and everything to write me back even if I did send this, but...you know, I still kinda wish we could hang out together some time. There's this new ice cream place that just opened near my school...I tried it, and the strawberry cones there are great! If only you could try them, too...

I still wish there really _was_ a tape. I miss you, Blitzy.

Yours,

Ronnie


End file.
